A calf, and everything changes
A training session in Cape Town. Sunday. George Bell pulls up and grabs at his calf.
That was how the All Blacks took their first real hit in South Africa. The Crusaders hooker is heading home, four to six weeks out. His tour is over before it ever really began.
Bell sat fourth in the hooker pecking order, behind Codie Taylor, Asafo Aumua and Samisoni Taukei’aho. A withdrawal is still a withdrawal. Dave Rennie had to move fast.
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Slater, a familiar name
The coach has called up Bradley Slater. Twenty-seven years old, hooker for Taranaki and the Blues, no caps yet.
He becomes the fourth uncapped player in the squad. Another roll of the dice. The surname, though, rings a bell in New Zealand. His uncle Gordon wore the black jersey in the late 1990s, six matches including three Tests.
Slater built his path elsewhere. New Plymouth Boys’ High, the Chiefs until 2025, then the Blues. And now South Africa, out of nowhere.
The stage is set
“We’re all gutted for George,” Rennie said. The coach knows what one more injury means for a player already held back these past months.
The Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour opens on Friday 7 August against the Stormers in Cape Town. The All Blacks go in a hooker short, a debutant thrown into the mix. We’ll see how it plays.
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